GUN'S AND ROSES - ESTRANGED

ESTRANGED

GUNS N’ ROSES

SONGWRITER: AXL ROSE

COUNTRY: U.S.A.

ALBUM: USE YOUR ILUSON II

LABEL: GEFFEN

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1991

"Estranged" is a power ballad by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It is from the álbum Use Your Illusion II. The song reached #16 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in early 1994.

At over nine minutes long, "Estranged", also known for its music video, is the longest song on Use Your Illusion II and Guns N' Roses' second longest song overall (after "Coma" from Use Your Illusion I). It has many verses, no set chorus, and several distinguished guitar and piano solos. Use Your Illusion II's liner notes thank lead guitarist Slash for "the killer guitar melodies", which captured Axl Rose's vision. Slash has specifically stated that recording the guitar parts for this song was very intensive for him; he recorded it using a Les Paul Gold Top, using the rhythm pickup with the tone turned all the way down.

According to Slash, the song was written while the band was rehearsing for an extended period of time in Chicago. Axl revealed that he wrote the song during a more "bummed out" time in his life when his marriage with Erin Everly was annulled.

"Estranged" was played live very frequently during the Use Your Illusion Tour from 1991 to 1993. During performances of this song, Dizzy Reed would play piano instead of Axl Rose. A live version of this song can be heard on Live Era: '87-'93. During the Chinese Democracy Tour, a riff from the song was sometimes included in Ron Thal's solo interpretation of the Pink Panther Theme. In December 2008, Axl spoke of his desire to bring Estranged back into the live set. The song was featured with regularity on the tour from 2012-2014. It has been played at almost every show on the "Not in This Lifetime... Tour".

When you're talking to yourself

And nobody's home

You can fool yourself

You came in this world alone (alone)

So nobody ever told you, baby, how it was gonna be

So what'll happen to you, baby?

Guess we'll have to wait and see

One, two

Old at heart, but I'm only 28

And I'm much too young to let love break my heart

Young at heart, but it's getting much too late

To find ourselves so far apart

I don't know how you're supposed to find me lately

And what more could you ask from me?

How could you say that I never needed you?

When you took everything

Said you took everything from me

Young at heart, and it gets so hard to wait

When no one I know can seem to help me now

Old at heart, but I mustn't hesitate

If I'm to find my own way out

Still talking to myself and nobody's home (alone)

So nobody ever told us, baby, how it was gonna be

So what'll happen to us, baby?

Guess we'll have to wait and see

When I find all of the reasons

Maybe I'll find another way

Find another day

With all the changing seasons of my life

Maybe I'll get it right next time

And now that you've been broken down

Got your head out of the clouds

You're back down on the ground

You don't talk so loud, and you don't walk so proud

Anymore, and what for?

Well I jumped into the river

Too many times to make it home

I'm out here on my own

Drifting all alone

If it doesn't show

Give it time to read between the lines

'Cause I see the storm is getting closer

And the waves, they get so high

Seems everything we've ever known's here

Why must it drift away and die?

I'll never find anyone to replace you

Guess I'll have to make it through

This time, oh this time, without you

I knew the storm was getting closer

And all my friends said I was high

But everything we've ever known's here

I never wanted it to die.